NOVEMBER 2016 NEWSLETTER

The holiday season started out with a blast of fun dances for both the Middle and High school. Thank you student advisory teams for your efforts and planning such wonderful school events. We had a great turnout, enjoyed the music, and had fun with the activities. I want to thank Ms. Henshaw, Ms. Moulton, the student advisory, parents & staff volunteers for helping to make this a fun and safe environment for TA kids. Student led conferences went well last week. If you need to set up an appointment to participant in your child’s conference, please contact your advisor.

Academics: The next two months will go by quickly with many breaks. Be sure your son/daughter is keeping up with his/her individualized academic work calendars and RosettaStone; available through the Edgenuity program or your child’s advisor. If you are still struggling with knowing how to check your child’s progress, please make an appointment with the advisor to come into the school and learn. This is an important time to be on schedule due to the fact that the end of the semester is approaching and all coursework including finals must be completed by December 22nd.

From the Curriculum Coordinator: Congratulations, all TA students and families! We are halfway through the first semester with some pretty amazing work happening in both middle school and high school. Our students are taking over 725 Edgenuity classes this semester as well as their course loads at UNM and in our STEM program. Keep up the good work!!! Remember that no work is added over the Thanksgiving Break. Also: Parents, please remember Thursday Tech Night from 4-6 November 18th, just in time to help your student get caught up for the Thanksgiving Break! Final Edgenuity exams are two weeks after we return. Please use this time to either get caught up OR to work a little ahead in preparation for your exam week.

RosettaStone: Students are working towards finishing up their Rosetta Stone language courses so that they are 100% done by December 14. For more details on Rosetta Stone deadlines and progress, contact your advisor.

Thanksgiving Break 11/21-11/25 - The campus will be closed during this week, however students can continue working in Edgenuity and RosettaStone. This is a great time to get ahead or catch up because the Edgenuity clock stops for that week. Students should reach the 80% to 85% completion prior to Thanksgiving Break or continue to work over the break to be at 80% to 85% completion when we return. No Math tutoring on Friday Nov. 18th.

The end of the semester is December 22nd. All coursework will be due Monday, December 19th and students should be prepared to take finals at Taos Academy during that week. Coursework or finals not completed by Thursday, December 22nd will result in zeros. All INTERNSHIP hours need to be compiled/organized and given to Mrs. Moulton by December 15th so they can be posted.

TECHnology Update: Taos Academy students and staff spent countless hours each week on computers without realizing the effect on our bodies. Simple tasks such as taking a break to move every ten minutes. In order to reduce strain and fatigue while using a computer for extended periods of time we encourage you to read/use the information provided on Computer Ergonomics . The following link and image was taken from the University of Michigan’s health service page: https://www.travelers.com/resources/workplace-safety/how-to-adjust-your-desk-chair-and-workstation.aspx

If you have a specific, technology related question, please, feel free to contact any of the following TECH Team members: Collin E. Miller - cmiller@taosacademy.org Lee Shawver - lshawver@taosacademy.org Kelci Pike - kpike@taosacademy.org Jamie Lucero - jlucero@taosacademy.org Jeanette Henshaw - jhenshaw@taosacademy.org Look for our continued updates in the monthly newsletter.

School Portraits- SCHOOL PORTRAITS!!! TAOS ACADEMY Photography Class: School Portraits will be available for sale beginning November 9th. The gallery is on zenfolio and details will be sent out next week via e-mail. So CHECK YOUR E-MAIL!!

STAFF APPRECIATION FUND- PARENT ADVISORY SPONSORED: The Parent Advisory is asking families to contribute $5 to $10 to an appreciation fund that will be managed by the Parent Advisory Committee to use to fund special events for Taos Academy staff members. The first event is an appreciation Holiday Dinner at the St. Bernard to be held in December. You can make a contribution by check to Taos Academy or cash given to Vicki with a receipt. A contribution “boot” will be out during student pick up☺ Thanks to Jean Mayer owner of the St. Bernard for his generosity. The staff is looking forward to his wonderful hospitality and dining experience. Thank You from the Parent Advisory Committee.

Light Lunch program: Fresh Light Lunch Menu for November November 1 - 2 Dim Sum 6 for 3.00 November 8 - 9 Frito Pie 3.00 November 15 - 16 Chicken Curry 3.00 November 29 - 30 Meatball Subs 3.00

CLUB LECTIO SCRIPTO (formerly the Community of Readers and Writers) We will be meeting November 3rd and 17th (the 1st and 3rd Thursdays) from 4:00 to 5:00 in STEM 1 to share our reading experiences and do some fun writing activities. There will also be an opportunity to read your original work on the radio in conjunction with the STEM Broadcasting class. Please come and bring your bright ideas to share with the group. You can also bring a friend! Contact Ms. Martinson (tmartinson@taosacademy.org ) or Ms. Joseph (ljoseph@taosacademy.org) for more information.

MS Student Advisory Council News (MS-SAC)

We have successfully hosted our first dance- and without a DJ. It went well thanks in part to the parents and teachers who helped set up, chaperone and clean up. We want to thank all the teachers and parents who helped with our Dance. Our next event is $2 HAT DAY on Wednesday, Nov. 2nd. Bring $2 for pennies for patients and you can wear your hat all day long. The following Wednesday we will host a bake sale bring money for yummy goodies we will be selling at lunch. (Baked good donations are also gratefully appreciated). Finally, will will be ending our Pennies for Patients campaign the following Wednesday, Nov. 16th. Collect and bring in donations- remember you can also donate from afar or online use the following link: http://events.lls.org/pages/nm/TaosAcademy-2017 . Coming up, look for candy cane candy gram sales coming after Thanksgiving & in December and delivered the Mon & Wed before Cumulative Exams. Candy Grams are 50¢ each and will be sold before morning meeting, at lunch and breaks.

3D Printing a 3D Printer - Student Led Project needs funding Two high school students have researched and design a project where they plan to build and program a 3D printer from scratch. Their project needs over $400 to get off the ground. If you can contribute or can share this project proposal with your social networks, we would greatly appreciate it.

HS Global Studies & Leadership Class Social Emotional Learning (SEL/ EQ) For a second year, Taos Academy is collaborating with Taos High School to participate in

InspirED 's Pioneer & Changemaker School program. InspirEd is a partnership between Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and Facebook designed to promote positive school culture - to help make schools a place where students feel safe, supported and empowered. We are proud to be one of only 16 schools nationwide to be involved in the first year of this program. We are truly paving the way!

Last month, TA seniors, Mateo Romero & Brittany Romero represented Taos Academy, along with Taos High seniors, Leo Pacheco,

Aryanna Zarasua, and Nadeeka “Jade” Knight at the InspirED Summit at the Facebook Headquarters in San Francisco, CA. They collaborated with students from across the country to come up with their own student-led projects. TAHS & THS students are currently organizing a 2 day student retreat to address the social emotional needs and development of Taos youth. The students are working with staff and students from all of Taos High Schools to begin a youth network for support and collaboration across the schools.

Mateo & sophomore Rylie Rowe couldn’t wait for the student retreat to start a student-led project. When you enter the main building at TA you will now see the Positivity Wall display in the hall. Mateo and Rylie pitched the idea for approval, got donations for materials, and put together this display for members of the community to share inspiration, quotes, etc. Post a card or take a card that inspires you. The current theme is “Positive Pumpkin Patch.” Congratulations to our student leaders.

MS+ Middle School Plus Update On Thursday, October 27 students toured the manufacturing facility of Private Label Select (PLS). PLS makes personal care products under national labels such as Tom’s of Maine and Colgate. October is the month where the public is encouraged to visit manufacturing facilities and learn about these businesses. This was a fun and interesting trip as the students learned about engineering and donned blue hairnets. After the tour and capping and labeling chapsticks, the students were treated to a lunch, where they enthusiastically recounted their experiences. October was Bullying Prevention Awareness month, and our students created and/or presented informative skits, posters, and videos for our middle school morning meetings. They also engaged in conflict mediation activities, and learned interpersonal skills that they used during their small group interactions throughout this project. We will celebrate the “Random Acts of Kindness” students performed through a Pizza Party. Please encourage them to fill the chart and meet our goals. This quarter’s goal is to perform group acts and these can include positive behavior in group activities.

COLLEGE CORNER Graduation is Friday May 19, 2017 10 am – 12 at the Taos Center for the Arts (TCA). Seniors, please apply to colleges as soon as possible. The sooner you apply, the sooner you will get accepted, and the sooner you can begin applying for scholarships. Seniors – If you have applied to UNM Main Campus, please apply for the UNM scholarships. The Regents’ and Presidential Scholarships deadline is December 1, 2016. Please see the website for more information: http://unmscholarshipapp.unm.edu/ Seniors, please go to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, FAFSA, and begin the application, (opens October 1, 2016) for the 2017-2018 college year. https://fafsa.ed.gov/ Daniels Fund Scholarship is due November 30, 2016. http://www.danielsfund.org/

New Mexico State University recruiter will be visiting TA on Tuesday, November 1, 2016, at 8:30 am. New Mexico Highlands University recruiter will be visiting TA on November 16, 2016 at 9:30. Seniors, Juniors, Sophomores, and Freshmen are all invited to this presentation. The Armed Services Vocational Assessment Battery (ASVAB) will be administered at TA on Tuesday, November 15, at 8:30 am. All sophomores will be taking this career assessment test for their Career Pathways class. For more information, please contact Ms. Cobey Senescu. UNM Field Trip is Friday, November 4, 2016, 8 am – 5:30 pm. Please contact Ms. Senescu or Ms. Densow as soon as possible if you are interested in going on this field trip. Sophomores - Seniors are invited on this fun and informative UNM tour. Seniors - SAT is November 5, 2016. ACT is December 10, 2016 and the registration deadline is November 4, 2016. Senior Trip - We are planning our first Taos Academy Senior Trip to Los Angeles March 12-March 15, 2017. Activities include behind the scenes tours of Universal Studios and the J.Paul Getty Center. We will also go to the Museum of Jurassic Technology, Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles Museum of Art, Hollywood, and the Santa Monica Pier. The cost of the trip is $1235 per student and includes all transportation, meals, hotel, and comprehensive accident and illness insurance for all participants. Fundraising has begun. Each student is responsible for raising his or her own funds. Flower bulb sales form and money are due NOVEMBER 1st. Bulbs will be delivered in 2 weeks. Then we will begin selling cookie dough for the holidays, followed by a crowd funding campaign for those who have raised money. A $250 deposit is due by January 12, 2017.Please contact Mrs. Moulton for questions.

College Link - Nov 2016

Our first semester began with a whirlwind of changes. Mr Jeff Carr joined the faculty of College Link (CL) and is the JUNIOR ADVISOR this year. Ms Densow is the SENIOR ADVISOR and both work with 11/12 graders in the program. Ms Densow also instructs ELA Enrichments, college apps, letters of application/recommendation, ad infinitum and Mr. Carr is a facilitator in the Career Pathways program.

In addition to blending all juniors and seniors into CL this year, students must qualify to take dual credit STEM classes and any UNM-Friday elective classes with at least a 2.0 GPA. All students who take core lower division college classes in English (Composition) and Math classes must take the COMPASS

Placement exam (at UNM) in that specific discipline and have at least a 2.5 GPA. All other UNM core classes (social sciences, science, etc.) require a 2.5 GPA in order to register.

One issue students had this year was that many of the UNM core classes filled up/closed due to early registration. We are requiring students to register w/us for UNM classes beginning NOV 14, 2016. This is when the UNM schedule of classes goes online. Students MUST get with their advisors and parents need to oversee the application and sign it before any registration is possible. The application MUST BE RETURNED to CL staff to double-check everything. The sooner this is done the stronger likelihood it becomes that students will get their first choices.

NOTE: College Link students have CL lab schedule options M-Th. This is to allow students the flexibility to attend UNM classes and work internships and participate in various community activities. Not all high school students in CL will attend on Tu/Th due to space and schedules. CL students will also serve SSL Contract (when they ‘earn’ it) on the regular SSL schedule which is on their OFF days (M/W/F).

As we approach the END of this first semester, it is imperative that students and parents are aware of their academic status. SENIORS have a very bright, shining light at the END of the high school tunnel, so there’s no wiggle room. Credits needed for graduation have to be in order and on target to be completed so that they graduate on FRIDAY, May 19, 2017. Please read your emails and note upcoming events and dates along with any resources available to the students and parents -- scholarships, college fairs, presentations by recruiters, ACT/SAT exams, TA testing dates, etc.

URGENT: Please provide 3-5 baby pictures of your graduating SENIOR ASAP. One for our yearbook. Mrs. Moulton is including this feature in the Senior section. :o), and we will use these photos to create our Senior slide show for graduation. We’ll be happy to scan them and return them safely to you. Mrs. Robbins is a pro in this department! AND…

SENIOR TRIP...Please help our Seniors to fundraise for a trip to Los Angeles in March. Mrs. Moulton has put this into motion and will be updating all on the progress.

So...ONWARD and let’s finish this semester with strong work and a great foundation for next semester!

11/2- $2 Pennies for Patients HAT DAY 11/9- MS-SAC BAKE SALE during Lunch

11/11 – Veterans Day 11/14 – Governing Council Meeting 5:00 11/16- End of Pennies for Patients Collection - Money mailed out Friday 11/18

11/21 – 11/25 – Campus Closed for Thanksgiving Break 11/28- Candy Grams go on sale Before school and during break and Lunch 50¢ each 11/29 – Parent Advisory Council Meeting 5:30

At A Glance

12/12 – Governing Council Meeting 5:00 12/13 - STEM Night 12/16 - Jimmy Stadler’s Music Classes concert at KTAO 12/19 – 12/22 – Finals week – End of Semester 12/20 – Parent Advisory Council Meeting 5:30

12/26 – 01/10 – Winter Break 01/11 – MS Back to School 01/12 – HS Back to School If you have any questions feel free to call or email: Vicki Robbins –Admin. Secretary: 751-3109 vrobbins@taosacademy.org